Things we didn't expect to be talking about in 2018

By Alix Martichoux

on December 10, 2018 4:00 AM

Nick Mullens

2018 was supposed to be the year of Jimmy G, right? Wrong. Instead of leading the 49ers to a winning season, quarterback Garoppolo tore his ACL in just the third game of the season. Then backup quarterback C.J. Beathard suffered a wrist injury, so 49ers fans got stuck with Nick Mullens.

Nick Mullens
2018 was supposed to be the year of Jimmy G,...photo-16589986.187940 - |ucfirst

Nutria

Between climate change, drought and pollution, no one was expecting this environmental threat. But these 20-pound rodents could devastate California's ecosystem and agricultural infrastructure as they burrow into levees, roadbeds ad canal beds. Since they're able to produce 200 offspring per year, the problem seems impossible to nip in the bud.

The former first lady of San Francisco (when she was married to Gavin Newsom) has found a new love with very different political beliefs. After a short relationship with Anthony Scaramucci (remember him?), she began seeing recently divorced Don Jr. earlier this year. Since they went public, they've been very, very public. The two campaigned for Republicans in various elections nationwide, and made gator gumbo in Louisiana along the way. Oh, and their nicknames for each other are Pooh Bear and Junior Mint.

Can you remember a time before everyone was arguing about Lime, Bird and other e-scooters? Before people were throwing them in Lake Merritt and before they were being rounded up and taken off the streets by SF Public Works? Before they were dumped on city streets in March 2018, there was no way we could have seen the scooterpocalypse coming.

The now infamous e-scooter
Can you remember a time before...photo-16338490.187940 - |ucfirst

Benioff's hero status

The Salesforce Tower wasn't exactly welcomed to the city with open arms. Many natives thought it symbolized a tech takeover of San Francisco. Others just didn't like the way it looked towering over the rest of the skyline. And while Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has been donating to Bay Area public schools for years, it was his outspoken support for Prop C (a ballot proposition that would tax big business to pay for homeless services) that cemented his place as CEO of the people — if that's not a complete oxymoron.

Between "Black Panther," "Blindspotting," and "Sorry to Bother You," Oakland took center stage in some of the most acclaimed movies of the year. The films all showed off different parts of what makes Oakland awesome, but we knew that already. Pictured is a scene from Daveed Diggs' "Blindspotting."

Oakland as the center of film
Between "Black...photo-15868102.187940 - |ucfirst

Weed seltzer

When recreational marijuana became legal to purchase on Jan. 1, there were all sorts of edible cannabis products on the shelves. But drinkable marijuana? That came a few months later. Lagunitas released two fizzy waters, each containing THC, over the summer. CBD cold brew coffee also started popping up in local cafes around the Bay Area, like Bicycle Coffee in Oakland.

The celebrity chef and rapper/beverage entrepreneur sat courtside together at a Warriors game in April. Then, E-40 joined Fieri to eat fried chicken in Alameda on his show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." Welcome to Flavortown, 40.

Winning another NBA championship at the end of the 2017-2018 season came as no surprise, but the rocky start of the 2018-2019 season has some fans worried. Draymond Green was suspended in November for "conduct detrimental to the team" after a late-game argument and locker room spat with Kevin Durant. On top of the perceived struggle to get along with each other, the team has suffered a few injuries. This early in the season, there's no real reason to sweat it. But at time of writing, the Dubs were fourth in the Western Conference. Would you call that a fall from grace?

Experts thought they’d probably finish in last place. Fans wondered: Has Billy Beane finally lost his touch? Instead, the A’s slugged their way to 97 wins and a playoff spot. Though the season ended in familiar fashion (a playoff loss to the Yankees), there’s optimism in Oakland for the first time in years. less

The A's being good

Experts thought they’d probably finish in last place. Fans wondered: Has Billy Beane finally lost his touch? Instead, the A’s slugged their way to 97 wins and a playoff spot. Though ... more

We won't belabor all of Musk's strange behavior in 2018, but it was a weird year for him. Calling a rescue diver a pedophile was a real curveball. And so was smoking weed during a live stream of Joe Rogan's podcast, causing Tesla shares to plummet the next day.

A "historic" laundromat
For a good part of the...photo-9245957.187940 - |ucfirst

A planned end date for the Central Subway construction

We can see the finish line on the horizon — the very distant, very faint horizon. Muni officials say work on the Central Subway Muni extension to Chinatown should wrap up by December 2019. A reminder: workers broke ground back in February 2010.

A planned end date for the Central Subway construction
We...photo-15333993.187940 - |ucfirst

What constitutes the "worst" wildfire in history

When the Mendocino Complex fires burned in July, they broke the record as the largest in California history. A few months later came the devastating Camp Fire, which easily became the deadliest wildfire in state history after it took the lives of 85 people.

2018 was supposed to be the year of Jimmy G, right? Wrong. Instead of leading the 49ers to a winning season, quarterback Garoppolo tore his ACL in just the third game of the season. Then backup quarterback C.J. Beathard suffered a wrist injury, so 49ers fans got stuck with Nick Mullens.